Fountain-moistener.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES N. CRABB, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FOUNTAIN-MOISTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 675,818, dated June 4,1901.

Application filed December 8, 1900. Serial No. 39,148. (No model.)

.T0 all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES N. CRAEB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFountain-Moisteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an article that is designed to be used formoistening the adhesive gum on envelops and postage-stamps and the likeor for moistening a persons fingers when counting paper money and insimilar occupations.

The object of the invention is to provide a moistener of this characterwhich may contain a sufficient quantity of water or other liquid toavoid the necessity of frequent attention and refilling and in whichonly the desired degree of moisture may be supplied to the parts fromwhich it is to be taken in USB.

A further object is to provide suitable contact-surfaces so that in onedevice the fingers may be conveniently applied thereto on roundedsurfaces as Well as gummed paper to fiat surfaces; and a still furtherobject is to provide a simple and cheaply-constructed device for theabove purposes which may be easily kept in good condition and be durableand economical in use.

My invention consists in a fount and a removable liquid-absorbingcontact-plate of new and novel form connected in a peculiar manner withthe fount; and it consists, further, in the parts and combination andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointedout in the claims appended.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I represents a moistener perspectivelyas constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a transversevertical sectional view of the same, taken approximately at thelongitudinal center thereof; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical sectionalview of the device, taken approximately at the transverse centerthereof; and Fig. 4, a transverse vertical sectional view of theremovable contact-plate, showing details of construction thereof whenbuilt up of laminated parts.

Similar reference -letters in the several views of the drawingsdesignate like parts.

In construction I provide a suitable fount having an open top and whichis water-tight in other respects, being best formed of molded glass,although other material may be applicable. The fount comprises a bottomA, vertical sides B B, substantially parallel, and vertical ends C C,also substantially parallel, but in lines at right angles to the linesof the sides, so that in plan the fount is oblong and rectangular, thusaffording suitable proportions; but obviously I may adopt other plancontours. The ends C C extend upward above the sides, so that the upperfaces a or of the ends respectively shall be slightly above the upperfaces h h of the sides when the fountisin operative position. Thereforethe distance from the bottom A to the upper face a of an end is greaterthan that from the bottom to the face h of a side. The faces a a areeither straight or slightly arched and have rounded ends f. The inneredges (l d of the upper faces h h of the sides are beveled, so that anysurplus water on the exterior of the contact-plate may be caught, as introughs, and prevented from flowing over the faces h h. Also any excessof water at the edges of the contact-plate will be conducted by theadjacent high parts of the ends to the interior of the fount. Thus theexterior of the fount cannot become wet or soiled, as occurs in mostarticles of this character. Preferably the fount is relatively weightyand broad-bottomed, so that it may not be accidentally upset.

The contact-plate D may be composed of any suitable material in whichcapillary attraction may be induced-such as wicking, felt, orblotting-paper--and it may be provided, when the material may requireit, with suitable stiening material whereby to maintain the desiredform. Considered broadly, it comprises a sheet or plate, preferablyrectangular and of suitable thickness and plan dimensions, governed bythe proportions of the fount to which it is to be connected. The

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sheet is bent at two parallel lines, so that in cross-section it will besubstantially an inverted U shape when in operative position; but thecentral portion D, which comprises the contact -plate proper, is butslightly curved, or it may be a plane surface, and the limbs D D formthe supports and feeders for the contact-plate, being preferably formedintegrally, as above indicated, as a matter of economy. When inposition, the bottoms e c of the limbs rest upon the bottom A of thefount, either close to or slightly distant from the sides B B, andextend up to the top edges 7L 7L, and thence as curves to form roundedcorners i i, and thence 'to the center and meet, the portion between thecorners 1I z'. being thus adapted to have flat paper applied thereto tobe moistened, while the corners are suitable to be conveniently graspedbetween the thumb and fingers of the hand. It is so designed that thelimbs D D shall elastically press against the inner sides of the fountsides, at or near the tops thereof, and the upper surface at the edges bl) may be slightly above the faces a d.

As at present advised, I preferably construct the contact-plate and itsintegral limbs as indicated in Fig. 4, in which m designates the feedingmaterial, as two layers of blotting-paper, n a metallic stiffeningplateframe at the under and inner sides of the feeding material, and fu amuslin covering and protector for the feeding material. This coveringmay extend only over the exterior surfaces and be attached to the otherparts at the bottoms e c, or it may also extend as a lining inthroughout the under and inner surfaces of the stiffening-plate frame,according to fancy.

In practical use the contact-plate (which also serves as an effectualcover for excluding dust from the interior of the fount) may be taken atthe corners t' between the thumb and fingers and easily lifted from itsposition. Then the fount may be supplied with a suitable quantity ofwater E, and by pressing against the exterior of the limbs D D they lnaybe again inserted in the fount, when the feeding will begin, waterslowly rising in the feeding material in each limb until it meets atabout the center of the contact-plate, the latter being thus keptcontinuallysupplied as rapidly as the water evaporates or is taken offin practical use. Any gum that may collect upon the top of thccontact-plate maybe washed off without detriment to the plate. The flapof an envelop may be laid momentarily upon the contact-plate andmoistened in a rapid manner, and its further application will be readilyapparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Iatent. is-

l. A fountain-moistener including a fount having two opposing sides, anda contactplate having elastic limbs extending against the opposing sidesand friet-ionally retained thereby.

2. A moistener including a fount having two opposite end projectionsextending above the remaining side portions, and a contactplatesubstantially in the plane of the tops of the end projections and havinglimbs extending into the fount.

3. A moistener including a fount having two opposing sides and havingtwo opposing ends extending above the opposing sides, and acontact-plate substantially in the plane of the tops of the opposingends and having substantially parallel elastic limbs extending againstthe opposing sides and retained frietionally thereby.

4. A moistener comprising an oblong rectangular fount having the shorterends projecting above the longer sides, and a contactplate substantiallyin the plane of thetops of the ends and having rounded corners or edgesat two opposite sides thereof extending down to the tops ofthe sides ofthe fount and thence into the fount.

5. In a moistener, the combination with a fount, of a contact-platecomprising a layer or layers of porous material capable of ind ucingcapillary attraction, and a layer of stiff material forming a supportfor the porous material at the under side thereof, said layers togetherforming practically a continuous table-plate and supporting and feedinglimbs extending into the fount, the limbs elastically pressing againstthe inner faces of the fount sides and retained frictionally thereby.

G. In a fountain-moistener,the combination of the fount having theelevated ends, the contact-plate in the plane of the tops of theelevated ends and having the central plane surface and the opposingrounded-corner surfaces and having the limbs elastically engaging thesides of the fount, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES N. CRABB.

Vitnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, E. T. SILvIUs.

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